Trendmaker to Build in Second Austin Community

February 16, 2016

Trendmaker Homes, a Houston-based luxury homebuilder, is expanding its presence in the Austin area. Trendmaker has purchased 29 lots in the 5,000-acre master-planned community of Crystal Falls in Leander, north of Austin. Will Holder, president of Trendmaker Homes & Development, said model homes will be completed this spring with a grand opening planned in August. The company bought the lots in The Fairways neighborhood near Crystal Falls Golf Club. It will sell 10 floor plans ranging from 3,404 to 3,985 square feet with prices beginning in the low $500,000s. Holder declined to disclose the purchase price.

This is the third Austin-area investment by Trendmaker, which was purchased in 2014 by California-based Tri Pointe Homes Inc. (NYSE: TPH) of California. Trendmaker is also building 38 homes in the Belterra neighborhood off U.S. Highway 290 between Austin and Dripping Springs and Holder said the company plans to build an undisclosed number of homes in the 1,035-acre Headwaters community of Dripping Springs, which is under construction.

“It’s a very exciting process for us,??? Holder said. “This whole experience of coming to Austin has given us something to look forward to.”

Trendmaker has opened an office in Cedar Park with six employees: five who moved from Houston and one new hire. Terry Shuffler is general manager of the Austin division.

While acknowledging its Austin presence “will never be the size it is in Houston,??? Holder said Trendmaker is committed to building up its Central Texas holdings and is in various stages of discussions with other developers. He said two-thirds of the company’s business in Houston is by word of mouth and his goal is to bolster the company’s reputation in Austin to match that rate.

“When you get that level of customer satisfaction, profitability will happen, growth will happen, employee retention will happen,??? he said. “All the pieces of the puzzle happen when you get that.???

Trendmaker is the fifth-largest custom homebuilder in the Houston area with 2014 gross volume of $9.69 million, according to Houston Business Journal research. The company was started in 1971.